Philly Woman Accused Of Making Death Threats To PA Lottery Employees After Losing

An arrest warrant has been issued for a Philadelphia woman known to play the lottery, often losing. So often in fact that she has allegedly threatened Pennsylvania Lottery employees' lives.

The warrant comes out of Dauphin County, Lower Swatara Township specifically. That's where Pennsylvania Lottery has its headquarters.

According to Lower Swatara Township Police, Towanda A. Shields has been making death threats over the phone to lottery staff for months due to her lack of lottery wins.

Shields, 47, of the 1800 block of North 25th Street in Philadelphia, has been charged with three counts of terroristic threats with the intent to terrorize another; 25 counts of harassment, and 25 counts of stalking according to court records and police.

Shields allegedly threatened lottery employees' lives over phone calls and voice mails, police said.

Lower Swatara Police Detective Robert Appleby said the calls became increasingly harsh, saying lottery employees were initially tolerant to the calls but when the threats became more graphic they called police.

He said Shields alleged to know where lottery employees lived and even named Halloween as a date that someone would die at a Philadelphia lottery retailer.

Shields allegedly said in her threats that she had "boys" in the Harrisburg area, implying she could have them act against employees, Appleby said.

Due to the content of her calls, Appleby said Shields apparently plays the lottery often.

Shields was allegedly using burner phones, which made it difficult for police to pin her as the suspected caller

Appleby, who has been an officer for 17 and a detective for 10, said this is the first time he's dealt with a lottery customer.

A Pennsylvania Lottery public relations official said lottery employees sometimes hear from frustrated customers.

"We've never had a case of this magnitude or severity," said Gary Miller, director of public relations for Pennsylvania Lottery.

Miller said other than mentioning the occasional angry customer, Pennsylvania Lottery does not have an official comment on the threats.

Philadelphia Police said they do not have any information to share regarding the warrant for Shields' arrest.

Appleby said Philly police have been very helpful in the investigation.

Police said they determined Shields to be the caller after months of investigation, as the threatening calls began in April this year and continued through December.

Image via Lower Swatara Township Police